‘I — are — are you sure?’ Seth asked, his eyes fixed uneasily on Cristina.
‘Yes, Seth. This is what I want. But the choice is yours. We can switch back now if that’s what you decide.’
He didn’t understand. How could she give this up? Every part of her was perfect, how could she not see that? Was it a trick? He traced his finger over his borrowed thigh and bit his lip at the sensation. The last week had been the best of his life. He had been Cristina Goodwin, his stunning underwear model of a best friend, the girl whose life he had envied ever since he could remember. He knew everything about her. He could say that now with a new confidence. She had everything: wealth, health, a loving family. And that body. That immaculate body. What else was there?
Cristina stared at the body that she knew so well. The last week had been a turbulent one. She had gone into the switch with such hope. Finally a chance to escape that prison. A chance to see herself as others did — and love what she saw. The reality was difficult to handle. With her mind she had brought with her all of her insecurities, all of her anguish. The body she looked on was the same that tortured her in the mirror each night; she was simply not the one controlling it. Where others saw a slim waist and hourglass figure, Cristina saw only flab and boyish hips. It was too much to bear. The week that followed she spent avoiding Seth in her wretched form. And as the days passed she felt lighter and lighter, as if the stone she had been carrying all her life was slowly crumbling to sand. She could begin again. A new life free from her torment. And then the week was over.
They both sat frozen, eyes locked, naked and unsure, desperate and hopeful. Could it be possible? Could this perfect dream really be real?
